Left Behind
by TotoSage
Summary: <html><head></head>After you and your rival pick your starter Pokemon, have you ever wondered what happens to the one starter that DOESN'T get picked? And what does Professor Oak do while you're off on your adventure?</html>


After starting my playthrough of Pokemon Red, I started to wonder about what would happen to the Bulbasaur that got left behind (I chose Charmander as my starter).

So, without further delay, here's what **_I _**believe happens to the starters that get Left Behind!

"Sorry to tell ya this, Red, but I don't need you!"

After giving the two kids their PokéDexes, Professor Oak watched as his grandson Blue marched out the door. Blue was waving his Squirtle (which was, thankfully, istill nside the Pokéball) around like a flag.

On his way to the door, the professor could hear Blue shout, "I can't wait to cream those gym leaders and enter myself into the Hall of Fame!"

_When will he ever learn that the world doesn't revolve around him?_, the professor thought with an eternal sigh.

Keeping his composure, he looked towards Red. "Be careful out there," he warned. "The world of Pokémon is a dangerous place, yet exciting place. You may even find yourself lost out there all on your own. But if you think with your head and use your heart, you'll find a way to come home safely."

Silently, Red nodded in agreement. With his Charmander in tow, he calmly headed for the door, eager to begin his expedition of Kanto. His first stop was Viridian City, a small town just north of his hometown of Pallet.

_Come home safe and sound…I'm counting on you to finish what I could not_, Oak thought solemnly to himself.

After Oak had turned around, his eyes had glanced over to his lab table. His aged, gray eyes had spotted the solitary Pokéball that remained there, unselected by both of the boys. "Oh yes," he said, snapping his fingers. "I almost forgot that you were still there!"

But the question remained: What to do with it? He knew that he wasn't expecting anyone else to come by for the day, so what was he supposed to do with the remaining Pokémon?

Pondering the possibilities, Oak grabbed the Pokéball and held it in his palm. He looked down and noticed that there was an empty trash can on the floor, beneath the table. _Oh, no, _Oak scolded himself, feeling ashamed. _I would never even think of doing it!_

Wanting to see his old Pokémon again, Oak decided to unfasten the ball and release the Pokémon inside. The red energy from inside the ball had morphed itself into the stocky form of a Bulbasaur. But just as Bulbasaur was about to greet her two fellow starter friends, she noticed that they weren't there anymore.

They were chosen; she wasn't.

"Bulba..?"

Professor Oak spoke to his old Bulbasaur with a melancholy tone of voice. "Yes, I'm afraid that they have been chosen by two young men just a few moments ago…"

Bulbasaur felt as if her head had gained 10 pounds. She lowered it towards the ground and let out a weedy-sounding "Bulbasaur…"

"There, there...," Professor Oak whispered as he pet the plant-type between the ears.

The Pokémon professor was determined to find something to help cheer his Pokémon up. He scanned his laboratory with his eyes, until they had caught something that took him off guard. It was a red dual-screen device with a flashing blue button on the top screen.

"My old…PokéDex…?"

Of course, after all those years, the batteries had long been dead. After the PokéDex was powered on by a set of new batteries, Oak skimmed through his findings.

His PokéDex had an abundance of empty spaces, much to Oak's surprise. _I knew that I had a lot to learn…but I didn't think that it would be __**that**__ empty…_

As he held the Dex, liquefied nostalgia started to fill his eyelids. Concerned, Bulbasaur extended one of her vines and wiped away one of the Professor's tears.

Sniffling, Oak said, "Thank you, Bulbasaur."

Oak walked back over to his old friend and started to tenderly massage the top of her head.

Even way back into his childhood days, the elderly man had always had an affinity for plant type Pokémon. Fire types tended to be overly energetic and destructive (not always on purpose). Water types tended to have an independent streak, causing them to run off and ignore their trainer's commands. To him, the shy and tranquil nature of plant types seemed to appeal more to Oak's own personality.

Oak looked back down at the red device that he held in his hand, thinking about the conversation that he had had with Red and Blue.

_**"This here is the PokéDex. I want you two to fill it with information on all the Pokémon that you see. I would do it, but I'm too old!"**_

The professor cracked open his Pokéball and recaptured the Pokémon that he had seen before him. _There, there, my precious Seed Pokémon_, Oak thought. _No need for any more emotional stress_.

As he looked down into the sweet, golden-brown eyes of his Bulbasaur, Oak felt something connect with his soul. He felt something burning inside of him that he hadn't felt in decades:

The spark of adventure.

Oak made his way out the door, instructing his personal aides to watch over the lab in his absence. "I won't be gone for long, I assure you."

From his point of view, he could see the first route of the Pokémon League: Route 1.

It had been so long since he had fully crossed this path from beginning to end. Professor Oak tightened his grip on the Pokéball that he had held in his hand, turning his knuckles white. The only thing on his mind was the thought of crossing over into Viridian City.

Thoughtfully, he adjusted his gaze towards the sky. Oak's thoughts had suddenly become poisoned with doubtfulness.

It had been so long since he had done this, and he wasn't sure if he could do it.

He decided to unhinged the Pokéball and release his Bulbasaur. Without him even giving a single order, Bulbasaur looked up at her new trainer and knew what she had to do.

"Bulbasaur, use Tackle!"

With a sudden charge, Bulbasaur had launched a full body lunge.

Oak couldn't help but beam at Bulbasaur's eagerness to protect and fight by his side. Effortlessly, Bulbasaur had taken down a medium sized Rattata, gaining herself an ample amount of experience points.

_ Maybe I'm not too old for this after all…_


End file.
